Open the official state resources
Start with the state licensing information linked on this page. Find the office that regulates family or home-based child care in the county or region where you live.
Provider PathBy Holly’s Growing Minds StudioEspañolAZ guide
AZ home child care
How to start a home daycare in Arizona.
Arizona has more than one child care approval pathway. Review DES’s certified family child care provider information and ADHS’s child care licensing information before choosing an application. DES’s family-provider page includes a pre-application route and its own required-document list. An ADHS application, a DES certification, and participation in assistance programs are not interchangeable. Confirm your category before arranging checks, insurance, or training.
Source review: September 13, 2026
Reviewed background-check resources, center resources, provider-start guidance, rules navigation, provider support, professional-development guidance. This was a targeted review of the linked public guidance, not a complete review of every rule or local requirement.
Individual courses, staff qualifications, local approvals and account submissions have not been certified by this review. Confirm those details with the responsible agency.
Free state paperwork guide
Forms & records for Arizona.
DES certification for small family providers differs from ADHS group-home certification/center licensing. Subsidy contracting is another process.
- DES Family Child Care Provider Pre-Application
Start DES certification and review eligibility documents.
Official source ↗ - ADHS Child Care Licensing Management System
Access provider applications and licensing services.
Official source ↗ - Emergency Information and Immunization Record Card
Record contacts, emergency authorization and immunization information.
Official source ↗ - Permission to Give Medication · CCA-0036A
Document medication permission.
Official source ↗ - Provider Registration Agreement · PRA
Agree to DES subsidy participation terms.
Official source ↗ - Centralized Background Checks (CBC) instructions
Request DCS/APS checks and track fingerprint-card status.
Official source ↗
Paperwork sources reviewed September 14, 2026. The full guide identifies provider types, use instructions, format choices, and review limits.
Your starting roadmap
Seven steps to organize the process.
This roadmap shows what most applicants need to ask about. It does not replace Arizona’s current packet, regulations or licensing representative.
Prepared byHolly
Teacher, former in-home provider, and family child care specialist with more than 35 years in early childhood.
Source standardReview scope matters
How Provider Path is researched →Targeted source review dated September 13, 2026. The source-review note identifies the scope and limits. Confirm your category and location before applying.
Confirm which provider type applies
Ask whether your program will be licensed, registered, certified or legally license-exempt. The answer can depend on capacity, children’s ages, relationship to the children and whether care happens in your own home.
Request the application and orientation
Ask how to receive the current application packet and whether orientation is required before applying. Follow the state’s order instead of completing training, fingerprints or home changes too early.
Build your paperwork and training file
Confirm the required identification, education, health records, references, household information, emergency plans, insurance, training and local approvals. Keep copies of every document and certificate.
Complete background checks as directed
Ask exactly who must be checked, which forms are required and where approved fingerprinting is completed. Requirements may include caregivers, substitutes, employees and household members.
Prepare the home for inspection
Use the current state rules to review exits, alarms, sleeping and play spaces, outdoor areas, pets, water safety, medications, supervision, emergency plans and any local fire, zoning or health requirements.
Submit, inspect and follow up
Submit the complete packet in the order your licensing office requires. Prepare for the home visit, correct any remaining items and wait for written approval before operating when a license or registration is required.
Questions for your first call
Write these answers down.
The first conversation with the licensing office can save you from paying for the wrong training, inspection or home changes.
- Which home child care category fits my planned capacity?
- Do I need orientation before receiving or submitting the packet?
- Which documents and training certificates are submitted together?
- Who needs background checks, and when should fingerprints be completed?
- Which local fire, health, zoning or business approvals apply?
- Is liability insurance required, and what coverage limit or proof must I provide?
- May I operate before final written approval?
Official starting links
Use current sources for the final answer.
Choose training for your setting and role.
DES health-and-safety guidance applies to DES contracted or certified providers. Select the applicable pre-service or ongoing training category and verify the course for your setting and role. ADHS licensing and training tasks remain separate.
Before enrolling, confirm the exact course, provider category, staff role, format, required topics and hours, completion deadline, renewal and accepted certificate. Check pediatric CPR and first aid separately; a general online child-development or health-and-safety course is not a substitute for the certification your agency accepts.
Provider starting point
DES certified family child care: start here
Identify your provider category and the office responsible for your application.
Open resource ↗Program categoriesADHS child care licensing: centers and group homes
Select the ADHS center or group-home pathway that matches your program. DES family-provider certification is a separate route.
Open resource ↗Rules and standardsADHS rules and regulations navigation
Choose the current rules for your program category and confirm the effective edition with the agency.
Open resource ↗Background checksArizona centralized background-check guidance
Confirm who must be checked, the required documents and the timing before arranging checks.
Open resource ↗Professional developmentDES health and safety training guidance
Find professional-development guidance and confirm the exact course, format and certificate for your role.
Open resource ↗Provider supportDES family-provider pathway and referral support
Find practical assistance and contact information for your next step.
Open resource ↗Provider supportArizona CCR&R provider assistance
Referral and provider support; use the background-check instructions for your DES or ADHS category.
Open resource ↗Inspection recordsArizona provider and inspection search
Use the state’s search starting point to understand monitoring records and how licensed programs are displayed.
Open inspection resource ↗Child care assistanceArizona subsidy resources
Find the state program that helps eligible families pay for care and ask how providers participate.
Open assistance resources ↗Meal reimbursementArizona CACFP finder
Start with the USDA and state directories for family day care home sponsors and program contacts.
Find food-program contacts →Insurance regulatorArizona insurance department
Verify companies and agents, find consumer help, and ask state insurance questions.
Open state regulator directory ↗Business protection guideHome daycare insurance questions
Check state requirements, home-policy exclusions, child-capacity eligibility, and provider options.
Open insurance guide →Program setupEquipment and supplier guide
Compare professional and budget sources, then track verified items, quotes, purchases, and recall checks.
Plan equipment purchases →After written approvalMarketing and enrollment guide
Build a clear program description and a responsible 30-day plan for filling openings.
Plan responsible promotion →